THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

In 2019 Gommie began walking the coastline of an England with nothing but a backpack, a tent and an unusually large collection of pens. His aim? Searching for Hope during increasingly hard times.

From being lost on the Dover Hills to bankruptcy in Rhyl, or wild camping in Scarborough and the beat-up hotels of Fleetwood, Gommie’s extraordinary journey is still ongoing, and his findings, a refreshing mixture of texture, illustration, poetry and verbatim conversations, are a gentle homage to the often overlooked places we inhabit and the frequently forgotten voices we hear.

Rural West Cork, Ireland. Two Kids, Joseph and Paul, and their struggling, poet father, Fraser, are battling grief and poverty. When a letter arrives with a summons to Dublin and the promise of publication, it offers a chink of light – the hope of rescue. But Dublin is a long, wet and hungry way from West Cork in the mid-70s, especially when they have no money – just the clothes they stand up in and an old, battered suitcase.

So begins an almost anti-roadtrip of flipsides and contradictions – dreams and nightmares, promises and disappointments, generosity and meanness, unconditional love and shocking neglect.

1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.

The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho’s gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.

With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson brings together a glittering cast of characters in a truly mesmeric novel that captures the uncertainty and mutability of life; of a world in which nothing is quite as it seems.

Schuyler and Madeleine Burroughs have the perfect Face―rich and powerful enough to assure their dominance in society. But in SchAddie’s household, cracks are beginning to appear. Schuyler is bored and taking risks. Maddie is becoming brittle, her happiness ever more fleeting. And their menial is fighting the most bizarre compulsions. In Face, skin color is an aesthetic choice designed by professionals, consent is a pre-checked box on the path to social acceptance, and your online profile isn’t just the most important thing―it’s the only thing.

‘Someone swore that, as a little girl, he once saw you touch a tiger. And that the tiger didn’t harm you, it let you stroke it. It was always said that you had charmed the beast.’

Winter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here. He intends to kill her.

Lucrezia is sixteen years old, and has led a sheltered life locked away inside Florence’s grandest palazzo. Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband.

What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? How can she ensure her survival.

The Marriage Portrait is an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger.

Biting Biting features recipes for fast, easy, 100% vegetarian and vegan snacks that can be knocked up at speed using leftovers and store-cupboard ingredients.

Enter a world of Gujarati-style snacking, where nothing is wasted and every recipe can turn into a whole range of snacks. So a simple Potato Shaak (or curry) can be re-purposed as a samosa, or served up on toast with an egg, or stuffed into a parotha or flatbread. Even if you’ve nothing in the cupboard but a tin of baked beans, you can make Baked Bean Curry, or why not try revolutionising your lunch with Cumin-spiced Cheese on Toast or the Cheese & Chevro (or Bombay Mix) Sandwich?

Discover more classic ‘bitings’ such as Reveya (Peanut Stuffed Aubergine) and Patta Ganthiya (gram flour crispbreads) alongside her uncle’s legendary BBQ Green Bananas, a full chapter of bhajiya (pakora) and some suggestions for delicious Sweet Biting. With fresh chutneys you can make in moments in a blender and advice on what to keep in your fridge to provide optimum ingredients for Biting, you will never be stuck for a snack again.

In September 2020, Rodge Glass of Strathclyde University commissioned acclaimed poet Juana Adcock to write a poem in response to Alasdair Gray’s Lanark, with the support of the Alasdair Gray Archive. The work of this father figure in the renaissance of Scottish literature and art was so expansive that Adcock was inspired to write a series of poems and texts as she approached the multiple facets of the work. The concept of vestigial traces – of loss, identity, memory, human contact and urban life weaves this new work together.

The chapbook opens and closes with the image of a silhouette in a window, which comes up in Chapter 2 in Lanark, and draws also from the painting ‘Eden and After’ featuring a snake with legs – hence the title of the pamphlet, Vestigial. It plays with the layout on the page, the remains of cities, genomes, memory, human contact, and with several attempts at writing the same poem, loss and potential. Playing with form and phrase, Juana has taken Alasdair’s work into a conversation about contemporary Scotland.

Daddy needs to wake up and start the day. There are so many exciting things to do but Daddy won’t get out of bed – no matter what! Is Daddy being lazy or is he actually fighting very hard?

This picture book has been created to help parents explain their mental health struggles to young children. The story draws on the writer’s lived experience and research conducted with some of Scotland’s leading parent charities.

When Esa Aldegheri and her husband left their home in Orkney, Esa didn’t know that their eighteen-month motorbike adventure would take them through twenty international frontiers – between Europe and the Middle East, through Pakistan, China and India – many of which are now impassable.

Charting a story of shrinking and expanding liberties and horizons, of motherhood, womanhood, xenophobia and changing geopolitical situations, Free to Go examines the challenges of navigating a world where many assume that women ride pillion, both on a motorbike and within relationships. Part around-the-world adventure, part-literary exploration of womanhood, Free to Go is about the journeys that shape and transform us.

Trishna Singh OBE was born in Glasgow in the 1950s, a first generation Scottish Bhat Sikh. Her father came to the UK in the late 1930s and her mother followed after the Partition of India by the British in 1947. Trishna left school, at the age of 13, with no qualifications. She had an arranged marriage, aged 21, and moved to Edinburgh to live with her husband – a first generation Bhat Sikh too, from Leith. As a young girl, she questioned the cultural requirements of her community which stated that married women were subservient to their mothers-in-law and their husbands, and existed solely to have children and look after their families, in direct opposition to the teachings of the Sikh religion which states man and woman are equal. And although Trishna’s marriage was a marriage of equals, she was still expected to adhere to the social and cultural restrictions placed upon her by the wider Scottish Bhat Sikh community. Trishna’s life has been challenging, in part. She has battled against her community’s traditions which she rightly saw as archaic customs, begun in India, and designed to ‘keep women in their place’ and has lived her adult life in a city she did not grow up in but which is now her home. In 1989 she founded Leith Sikh Community Group, now Sikh Sanjog. Its aim was to provide support for women in the Sikh community who had been settling in Edinburgh since the 1950s. Thirty-plus years later Trishna remains a director of Sikh Sanjog, along the way having studied and attained a BA in Community Learning and Development. A Silent Voice Speaks is her story.

What begins as a straightforward holiday weekend for Sir Edward Leithen in a splendid stately home in the Cotswolds soon turns into something altogether different when one of Lady Flambard’s other guests, the enigmatic Professor Moe, enlists the help of Leithen and his companions in a bizarre experiment to glimpse the future. For those who take part, the consequences are dramatic and Leithen’s formidable powers of reasoning are brought to the fore.

‘It’s no mystery or secret how much I enjoy Lawrence Chaney.’ – RuPaul’Tackles everything from gender identity, the thrill of a wig and why Scottish talent is often overlooked.’ – i NewsLawrence Chaney has wowed audiences across the globe as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In Lawrence (Drag) Queen of Scots, Lawrence shares heartfelt and candid moments from their past. From being bullied as a child to what it’s like to date as a drag queen, they give us an insight to their journey towards acceptance and better mental health.The loch ness legend themself takes us through the struggles faced to get to where they are now. From their childhood, growing up as a queer kid in Glasgow, feeling self-conscious and turning to humour to avoid being bullied, Lawrence shares their painfully relatable coming out story, and how finding drag was a vehicle towards confidence and self-love.__________’Gorgeous, hugely talented, funny, charismatic, adorable, Chaney is a goddess and brings us joy.’ – Lorraine’Lawrence shares some of [their] most intricate and personal stories…such as concocting a drag name, mental health and dating.’ – Gay Times’Lawrence Chaney is the funniest queen by a country mile. She has delivered the laughs a locked down nation needed in abundance. But there’s much more to Chaney than her quick wit. Her vulnerability is also part of her natural gift.’ – Vogue

Introducing Jonas Flynt. Gambler. Thief. Killer. Man of honour.’High adventure meets espionage thriller as Jonas Flynt battles the tide of history and the deadly secrets of his own past…’ D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance’Reads like a genuine eighteenth century spy novel. I see a long future for Jonas Flynt’ Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh’Anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery and likes an edgy, charismatic protagonist is going to love the adventures of Douglas Skelton’s new hero, Jonas Flynt’ S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker1715. Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters, is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands.On her deathbed, the late Queen Anne may have promised the nation to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than the new king, George I. But the will has been lost. It may decide the fate of the nation.The crown must recover it at all costs.The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.When secrets finally come to light, about the crown and about his own past, Jonas will learn that some truths, once discovered, can never be untold…An atmospheric and utterly compelling blend of crime, history and thriller, to delight fans of S. J. Parris, Andrew Taylor and C. J. Sansom.Praise for An Honourable Thief’Historical crime fiction at its absolute best. I loved it!’ Marion Todd, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series’Pitch-perfect stuff. Like all great historical novels you’ll feel you’re there! This is a departure for Skelton, who seems born to write high-end historical fiction’ Denzil Meyrick, author of the DCI Daley thrillers’Skelton’s mastery of time and place inhabited with richly drawn characters is a delight. It held me to the last tantalising page’ David Gilman, author of The Englishman’Jonas Flynt is one of those characters you’ll be rooting for from the very first chapter … it looks like Skelton has found a new home writing first-class historical fiction’ Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief’This is a fascinating, totally engrossing historical novel. Flynt is a most attractive, three-dimensional character and the same is true of the world he moves through. A brilliant, most enjoyable read’ Paul Doherty, author of The Nightingale Gallery’A cracking historical drama with breathless pacing and knuckle-chewing tension, all shot through with Skelton’s deft characterisation and flashes of pitch-black humour. The perfect read to lose yourself in’ Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast’If history was taught like this in schools we’d all be history buffs. In Jonas Flynt – the bastard son of Blackbeard and James Bond – we have an engaging and complex hero strong enough to carry any tale. An Honourable Thief is a real old school page-turner. I loved it, and already I can’t wait for the next instalment’ Michael J Malone, author of After He DiedAn Honourable Thief is brilliantly imagined and impressively written, with a faultless grasp of period and place – a gripping read from first page to last’ R. N. Morris, author of Summon Up the Blood’A compelling tale of justice and vengeance, of intrigue and plotting, all centred around a flawed 18th century Jack Reacher’ Morgan Cry, author of Thirty-One Bones

Scottish folk and fairy tales are full of mischief and malevolence, with spirits and goblins, bogies, witches, kelpies and mer-folk lurking in every corner of the land, behind every tree and craggy rock at midnight. In these pages lurk the Fairy queen, and the Sith, or silent folk, who mingle with animals that speak of prophesy and lore, and enchantments that rule the twilight.Flame Tree Collector’s Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

The Scottish independence debate has consequences for Scotland, British politics, the future of the UK – and internationally.In Scotland Rising, Gerry Hassan addresses the key questions in this debate with a deep dive into its history, beyond the usual references to Thatcherism, Toryism and Westminster, by analysing the relative decline of the UK, the nature of the British state, its capitalist economy and politics that underpin it.At the same time, a distinctive, autonomous Scotland has emerged beyond Nichola Sturgeon’s SNP and independence that has demanded more self-government. Scotland Rising highlights the importance of culture, stories and collective voices in reshaping how people see Scotland, both in during the first referendum in 2014 and again today.This debate is of relevance to everyone in the UK, including England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Can politics and democracy liberate people from the wreckage of Westminster? And if the Scots can, could it inspire others? Scotland Rising is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the future of Scotland and the UK.

The Scottish independence debate has consequences for Scotland, British politics, the future of the UK – and internationally.In Scotland Rising, Gerry Hassan addresses the key questions in this debate with a deep dive into its history, beyond the usual references to Thatcherism, Toryism and Westminster, by analysing the relative decline of the UK, the nature of the British state, its capitalist economy and politics that underpin it.At the same time, a distinctive, autonomous Scotland has emerged beyond Nichola Sturgeon’s SNP and independence that has demanded more self-government. Scotland Rising highlights the importance of culture, stories and collective voices in reshaping how people see Scotland, both in during the first referendum in 2014 and again today.This debate is of relevance to everyone in the UK, including England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Can politics and democracy liberate people from the wreckage of Westminster? And if the Scots can, could it inspire others? Scotland Rising is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the future of Scotland and the UK.

New Writing Scotland is the principal forum for poetry and short fiction in Scotland today. Every year we publish the very best from emerging and established writers, and list many of the leading literary lights of Scotland among our contributors.

TYLER’S STORY FROM THE SENSATIONAL DIMILY SERIES”And all that’s left is me. The Tyler who doesn’t know who he really is.”At seventeen, Tyler Bruce is hot – a hot mess. His girlfriend is a knockout, his reputation untouchable, parties are nothing without him. Even his car is unreal. But inside Tyler is in ruins – and he’ll stop at nothing to keep that a secret.Then one summer Eden comes to stay. She’s upfront, sharp and far more enticing than a stepsister should be. She also sees straight through Tyler’s bad boy facade … to the vulnerable kid within. The quiet kid who took all the punches. As Eden draws Tyler in, his defences start to crumble around him.As irresistible and dazzling as its Californian backdrop, Just Don’t Mention It is Tyler’s story – his heart-stopping tale of past hurt, finding hope and figuring out who the hell he wants to be.Praise for Estelle Maskame”Estelle Maskame is a brilliant young author who can write a beautiful love story and has so much talent at such a young age!” – Anna Todd”If you’re a YA junkie, you’ve probably heard of the incredible Estelle Maskame. She is one of the most exciting YA authors out there and a teen mastermind.” – Maximum Pop

THE NINTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING OUTLANDER SERIES.The past may seem the safest place to be. But it’s the most dangerous time to be aliveAmerica is on the edge of a bloody conflict, a country torn by war.Jamie and Claire survived Scotland and the Civil war that threatened its destruction. They must do the same now to protect themselves and their family.Roger and Brianna have fled the dangers of 1980s Scotland and Rob Cameron to return to Fraser’s Ridge in 1779 America. But the North Carolina backcountry is not untouched by the Revolution and tensions are at an all-time high.Claire is concerned not only for her family but for Jamie and the dangers he faces. She will not lose him again.The Fraser’s must use their collective knowledge of the future to keep themselves safe in the past.What the Fraser’s don’t know is that deadly forces from the future are reaching back to find them…

‘Hungry Beat is the story of an all-too-brief era where the short-circuiting of that industry seemed viable. But hell, the times were luminous as was the music these artists made. The songs and many of the players remain, and here they tell their story and lick their wounds’ Ian RankinThe immense cultural contribution made by two maverick Scottish independent music labels, Fast Product and Postcard, cannot be underestimated. Bob Last and Hilary Morrison in Edinburgh, followed by Alan Horne and Edwyn Collins in Glasgow helped to create a confidence in being Scottish that hitherto had not existed in pop music (or the arts in general in Scotland). Their fierce independent spirit stamped a mark of quality and intelligence on everything they achieved, as did their role in the emergence of regional independent labels and cultural agitators, such as Rough Trade, Factory and Zoo.Hungry Beat is a definitive oral history of these labels and the Scottish post-punk period. Covering the period 1977-1984, the book begins with the Subway Sect and the Slits performance on the White Riot tour in Edinburgh and takes us through to Bob Last shepherding the Human League from experimental electronic artists on Fast Product to their triumphant number one single in the UK and USA, Don’t You Want Me. Largely built on interviews for Grant McPhee’s Big Gold Dream film with Last, Hilary Morrison, Paul Morley and members of The Human League, Scars, The Mekons, Fire Engines, Josef K, Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens and The Bluebells, Hungry Beat offers a comprehensive overview of one of the most important periods of Scottish cultural output and the two labels that changed the landscape of British music.